San Francisco Book Review | Hague Publishing

The following review has just appeared in December’s edition of the San Francisco Book Review. If you want to see the original it can be found here.

Title: Frontier Resistance
Author: Leonie Rogers
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Hague Publishing,
Format: eBook
Details: $4.66 US, 183 pages

Reviewer: James Rasmussen

The world of Frontier is under siege from the invading, insectoid Garsal. Shanna, her fellow Scouts, and their Starcat companions find themselves in the care of the mysterious Starlyne, beginning to understand the Spark, the set of unusual talents that have been programmed into their genes over humanity’s generations on the planet. Without the technological mastery, lost over time, that brought their ancestors here, the Spark is the one weapon the settlers have that might be able to defeat the Garsal. As Shanna and her companions struggle to master the Spark, the rest of the colonists struggle to trust their alien allies, the Starlyne, even while the Garsal scheme to enslave the planet’s population.

The sequel to Frontier Incursion, Frontier Resistance draws readers further into the world of Frontier. This book can be read without reading the previous one; enough backstory is woven into the opening chapters that even if you haven’t read it yourself, you can smoothly gain an understanding of what is going on. The writing is clear and straightforward, making for an easy read that focuses on the characters and the action. It does a good job of following the development of the characters and their abilities, and carries overall positive themes throughout; it’s a bit lighter than some of the more angst-ridden YA fare on the market. At times it is a little light on detail, and occasional typos and misplaced punctuation might distract the grammatically sensitive, but otherwise the story pushes forward at a good pace through a science-fiction world that calls to mind both David Weber’s Honor Harrington universe, and David Brin’s Uplift books, making for a solid Young Adult read.

I’ve included the whole review, but if you want to see the original it can be found here.

Isis, Vampires and Ghosts – Oh My!
By Janis Hill
Hague Publishing, $4.66 US, 183 pages
Format: eBook
Reviewer: Holly Scudero

Stephanie and her sister Estella have been estranged for years, and Stephanie is, admittedly, not particularly heartbroken to hear of Estella’s death. But upon arriving to the funeral, held in the questionably new-age-y Temple of Isis, Stephanie learns that Estella is not so much dead as undead. And is now the host of an ancient, evil vampire named Branwyre. And Stephanie is the only one who can banish Branwyre and save Estella’s soul. Stephanie quickly finds herself thrown into a world she can hardly believe is real, with ghosts and demons and more. With the aid of Roxanna, the High Priestess of Isis, and the crude ghost of a monk named Trishna, not to mention the undead Estella herself, Stephanie sets out to retrieve Branwyre’s crucible and banish the ghost before he takes permanent possession of Estella’s body.

Even readers who do not generally enjoy paranormal fiction will probably enjoy Janis Hill’s Isis, Vampires, and Ghosts – Oh My! This story is fun and fast-paced, and reluctant hero Stephanie provides an entertaining point of view. She spends much of the early part of the story in disbelief that any of this is even real, but her determination to finally end things with her sister drives her to do it anyway. Readers will likely identify with the sibling problems Stephanie and Estella display, and their eventual reconciliation is sweet; Stephanie’s final forgiveness of Estella’s irresponsible past just might inspire tears. Trishna was an entertaining fellow, although his profanity-laced insults of Stephanie and others got very tiresome very quickly; they were humorous at first, but before long I found myself skimming over them. That aside, Isis, Vampires, and Ghosts – Oh My! is all kinds of fun, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who is looking forward to more supernatural adventures with Stephanie in the future.

Hague Publishing

Tag Archives: San Francisco Book Review

‘Frontier Resistance’ has appeared in the December edition of the San Francisco Book Review – 4 Stars

‘Isis, Vampires and Ghosts – Oh My!’ has appeared in the October edition of the San Francisco Book Review – 4 stars